Birthday
by Hades' Halls
Summary: Valkyrie gets kidnapped and Skulduggery saves her, ends in fluff.  T for swearing and rape.  I own nothing, all Derek Landy!


Valkyrie ran towards Scapegrace, wishing she'd worn her work clothes. He turned moved to kick her, she ducked but slipped and fell off the roof. She threw her hands up and grabbed the edge, "Damn it, how did you even get out?"

"Sanguine."

"Why'd he help you?"

"Said he wanted to annoy you."

"Course he did." She muttered, "C'mon Skul." _Damn it, Skul did your shoelace come undone like last time? _One hand slipped and she screamed. Scapegrace laughed and was suddenly thrown backwards by the air. Skulduggery walked over to Scapegrace and handcuffed him; he looked around and said, "Where'd Valkyrie go?"

Scapegrace laughed, "Fell off the roof."

Skulduggery turned as Valkyrie gathered up her last bit of strength and threw her hand back to the edge. She started to pull herself back up. Skulduggery saw and helped her onto the roof. Skulduggery looked at her, "You okay?"

"Yep," she took a deep breath. "Fine n-" she was cut off by the fact that she fainted.

"Shit," Skulduggery cursed. He picked her up and grabbed Scapegrace's hands and displaced the air to get them off the roof. He ran back to the car and threw Scapegrace in the back and gently laid Valkyrie in the passenger seat. He looked at her for a second and swore when he saw the blood soaking her tank-top. He drove eighty all the way to Kenspeckles. Clarabelle looked at Skulduggery dragging Scapegrace and gently holding Valkyrie. Skulduggery saw her and shoved Scapegrace at her, "Watch him. Kenspeckle!"

The old man walked into the hallway, "What did you do to her now, just put her in this room here."

With that he walked inside the room, Skulduggery followed him and put Valkyrie down on the bed. He was about to sit on the chair next to her when Kenspeckle glared at him. With a last glance at Valkyrie he left the room. He took Scapegrace from Clarabelle and handcuffed his ankles and handcuffed him to a chair. A half hour later Valkyrie walked out, she was holding the left side of her ribcage with her right hand. He jumped up, "Are you okay? Will you faint again? What happened? Why did you let it happen?"

Valkyrie smiled, "I'm fine, no, I broke two ribs, and it's not my fault I didn't try to break 'em! This is a sucky birthday."

Skulduggery sagged, "God, that's right. I'm so sorry. And it's your 22nd, is this one of those important birthdays?"

"Eh, not really. Can we just drop him," she pointed at Scapegrace, "at the Sanctuary and then go back to Gordon's?"

Skulduggery smiled (as much as a skeleton can) and pulled her into a hug, "Of course."

They spent the rest of the ride to the Sanctuary and then back to Gordon's (technically Valkyrie's but she refused to call it that) in comfortable silence. Well after a few minutes, see at first Scapegrace kept talking so a few minutes into the ride Valkyrie turned around and knocked him out. Once they reached the house Skulduggery got out and hurried over to Valkyrie's side and opened the door for her, she half smiled and half frowned, "Really, Skul, I'm fine but thanks."

He nodded and they walked into the house. Val threw herself onto the floor and grimaced, "So that wasn't the brightest idea. Wanna see a movie?"

"Sure, what?"

"Wolfman!"

"Isn't that a scary movie?'

Valkyrie smiled, "Aw, is wittle Skul gonna have nightmares?"

He shook his head, "No, but the last time you watched a scary movie I had to spend an hour or so reminding you that fish zombies aren't real!"

She lost her smile at the memory then smiled again, "Well that was with Tanith. I'll be fine this time."

"Oh, so are you saying that when you're with me you don't get scared?"

Valkyrie blushed a little and said a little to quickly, "No!"

Skulduggery just shook his head as the movie started and put an arm around Valkyrie. She smiled a little and put her head on his chest. Twenty minutes later she buried her whole body turned away from the screen, her arms around Skulduggery, and her head buried in Skul's shoulder. For his part Skulduggery had both arms wrapped around her. He grinned to himself and asked, "New movie?"

Val whimpered and nodded. He stood up and put in a movie that didn't have a label. Val got up to get more popcorn and when she walked back into the room she gave a quiet shriek, Tanith and Ghastly were in the room, and Skul had found old home videos of…Valkyrie! She glared at him, "New video!"

He shook his head, Ghastly smiled, and Tanith squealed, "Aw, but your so cute and it's a birthday so we should reminisce about the times when you were younger!"

Val glared, "That makes no sense Tanith, now Skul change it!"

Tanith stuck her tongue out and Skulduggery said, "Nope, this is cute. But to be fair we'll put it to a vote."

Valkyrie glared but sat down and shut up. About an hour later Val was asleep against Skul's shoulder. He looked down at her and glanced at Ghastly, who had Tanith sitting on his lap, "Guys, she's fast asleep. We'll see you later."

Tanith nodded and her and Ghastly left. While Skul picked Val up and carried her up to her room. He pulled the covers off her bed, put her down, and tucked her in. He looked down at her and smiled, thinking how cute she looked when she was asleep then he realized he always thought she was cute. He bent over and 'kissed' her on the forehead. She smiled in her sleep and muttered something unintelligible. He smiled and turned to leave.

He was half way out the door when he heard her scream. He took the stairs three at a time. He threw open her door to see Sanguine and her disappearing through the floor. He ran back down the stairs and pulled out his gun in time to see Sanguine and Valkyrie disappearing through the ground. He ran outside hoping to see them, he didn't. He took out his phone and called Ghastly and told him everything that happened. He would have told Gordon but Gordon was with Valkyrie's parents for the week. At the villa in France, once Valkyrie turned 18 she told her parents about everything, leaving out her crush on Skulduggery thinking it would go away. It hadn't.

Ghastly and Tanith pulled up, they lived together but then again so did most married couples. Tanith already had her sword out, "So, what now? What do we do?"

Skulduggery shrugged, "We have to find her. He'll kill her or…I don't know but she needs us!"

Ghastly put a hand on his arm, "She'll be okay, we'll get her back. It'll be okay."

Tanith put her sword away, "When we find her I get to kill Sanguine!" A tear rolled down her cheek and Ghastly pulled her into a hug. Tanith sobbed into his shirt for a second then mumbled, "So how do we find her?"

Skulduggery looked at them, "I think I know but it'll take a few hours to get there."  
Tanith looked confused, "Let's go, now!"

"We have to get to an airport."

Tanith, Ghastly, and Skulduggery got into the Bentley and drove in silence to the airport. They bought their tickets and Skulduggery explained that Sanguine had threatened to take Valkyrie to his 'house' and destroy her. Unfortunately, Sanguine told Skulduggery the address of this 'house' when he was monologue-ing.

Valkyrie screamed when she saw Sanguine. He laughed and grabbed her, he pulled her through the floor right as Skulduggery got to her room. She hit the 1st floor and cried out in pain, he laughed and pulled her through the ground again. She wanted to kill him but she clung to him, knowing if he let go she was stuck, this made her hold him tighter and she hated herself for that. After what felt like days, but was only few hours, Sanguine pulled her into a cell. He smiled at her, threw her on the bed, and walked out the door. She tried to use the shadows, which should have been swirling around her ring, but she couldn't. The cell bound her powers.

A few hours later Sanguine walked in. He sat in on the bed and pulled her down next to him. She elbowed him, he laughed, handcuffed her to the bed, then bent over her and asked, "Will you behave now?"

She glared at him, "Go to hell!"

He laughed and kissed her, she screamed and tried to kick him but he was to fast and he cuffed her ankles to the bed. Now she was stuck. He smiled, cut her shirt, and kissed her.

The plane landed and Skulduggery just about ran over the people in front of him so he could get off. The three of them (Ghastly, Tanith, and Skul) sprinted through the airport and got a rental car. Skulduggery drove eighty all the way to Sanguine's. Once they got there he blew the door of its hinges, only to hear Valkyrie screaming. A man ran down the stairs, toward them with a knife. Skulduggery ignored him and Ghastly knocked him out as Skulduggery ran downstairs. Tanith checked the upstairs with Ghastly. Skulduggery knocked out the man guarding the bottom of the stairs. He heard Valkyrie scream again. There was one cell. He took the keys off the guard and threw open the door. He paused in the doorway all he could see was Sanguine laying on a bed over…it clicked. He was rapping Valkyrie. Skulduggery threw him into the wall and put his jacket over Valkyrie. She was crying. Skulduggery looked at the unconscious Sanguine and wanted to kill him. He looked at Valkyrie, Sanguine, and back again. He took out his revolver.

A single shot was fired. He opened Valkyrie's cuffs and turned around while she fixed the jacket around herself. He looked down when he was almost knocked off his feet. Valkyrie was crying into his shirt and hugging him. "Worst birthday ever!"

Skulduggery held her close and they started to walk up the stairs. She wouldn't let him go and he wouldn't let her go. They reached the top of the stairs where Ghastly was standing guard. He looked at Valkyrie and pulled her into a hug as Tanith ran down the stairs. Tanith grabbed Val and pulled her away from Ghastly. She hugged the girl that had become her little sister. She looked at Valkyrie wearing Skulduggery's jacket and turned red with rage, "Where is he, I swear to God Skul if that…thing is still alive I'll kill him!"

Valkyrie looked up, "He's dead, Skul shot him."

"Let him off easy I wanted to torture him!"

Valkyrie gave a weak laugh. Tanith pulled her back into a hug. Skulduggery wrapped an arm around her once Tanith let go. They all piled into the car in silence till Tanith said, "Clothes, you need clothes!"

Valkyrie frowns, "Huh, yeah I do."

Tanith smiles, "Shopping trip!"

Everyone else in the car groans.

Valkyrie hit her head on the dashboard, "Just one outfit, Tanith. Please!"

Tanith shook her head, "Nope, full out shopping trip! The guys can carry our stuff!"

The guys groaned and Valkyrie shook her head, "Well, I can see I'm not gonna win this so fine."

"Yay!"

Skulduggery looked around, "Um…anyone know any malls?"

Tanith looked down, "Well…no. But there was a store down this street."

Valkyrie smiled, "Yes, only one store!"

Tanith scowled, "Fine."

Two hours later finds the foursomes settling themselves on the plane. Tanith had the window seat and Ghastly was next to her. Two rows behind them Val had the window seat and Skulduggery sat next to her. Valkyrie pulled on her tee shirt and turned to Skulduggery, "I never got…I just wa- Thanks."

Skulduggery tilted his skull, "You know I'll always come and save you, right?"

Valkyrie put her head on his shoulder, "Ya, I," her phone started to ring. She glared at it, "Really now?"

She answered, "Hello. Yes. Of course, Kenspeckle. You-what! How? Ya, right away. Okay. Yep, the second we land." She turned to Skulduggery, "Oh my God. Guess what?"

Skulduggery stretched and put an arm around her, "What?"

"!"

"Um…yeah I got none of that?"  
Val took a deep breath, "Kenspeckle found a way to make you human again!"

Skulduggery dropped his jaw (not literally), "Are you serious?"

Valkyrie nodded, "Yep!" She paused, "Do you want this?"

Skulduggery nodded, "Of course I want this. I feel like part of me has been missing for hundreds of years!"

Valkyrie smiled, "Alright, just asking."

A few more hours later Skulduggery and Valkyrie walked into the lab. Ghastly and Tanith had gone home once the plane landed. Kenspeckle looked at Valkyrie, "Come, let me make sure you're okay. Then we'll turn the Detective human. I don't know why I'm helping him though!"

Valkyrie smiled, "Cause, as much as you deny it he's grown on you."

Kenspeckle glared, "Go sit down, dear. And stop lying it isn't proper."

Valkyrie laughed and walked into a room. A few minutes later she walked back out to Skulduggery, "I'm fine."

He nodded, "Good."

Kenspeckle glared, "Come along, Skulduggery."

Valkyrie nodded, encouragingly. Skulduggery walked away with Kenspeckle as Clarabelle came in, "Oh, Valkyrie you're all better! Skulduggery ran in here with you last night, I thought you were dead! Anyway, where have you been? Did you get injured again? One day I think you'll die, don't you think you'll die? You know, I think he loves you."

"Okay, um…I'm gonna try and answer those questions now so could you stop talking. I was kidnapped, yes but I'm fine now, and yes I think I'll die one day but that's a long time from now. And finally, who loves me?"

Clarabelle laughed, "Skulduggery of course."

Valkyrie blushed, "No, he just thinks of me as a friend."

Clarabelle giggled and walked off. Valkyrie shook her head, "That girl is not all there."

She turned as a tall, thin, pale man with black hair and ice blue eyes walked into the room. He looked like he was in his late 20's. She stared, "Skul? Is that you?"

The man looked at her, bent over, and kissed her on the mouth. She threw her arms around him and pulled him closer, he put his hands around her waist and deepened the kiss. Kenspeckle walked over and pulled Skulduggery back by the hair, "The two of you will not suck off each others faces in my lab."

Skulduggery blushed and Valkyrie smiled, "Sorry, Kenspeckle."

The man shook his head and turned to glare at Skulduggery, "If you hurt her I'll kill you, bring you back to life, and kill you again."

Skulduggery nodded, "I could never hurt her," he pulled Valkyrie towards him, "I love her."

She looked at him, "I love you too."


End file.
